1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fluid power systems and components, more particularly to the monitoring and maintenance of such systems, and specifically to diagnostic and response systems and methods for fluid power systems and components, such as hoses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The principal of modern diagnostic systems is to use sensing technology and software to read and interpret real world events and communicate the data to alert users to situations that may require some form of intervention. Diagnostic systems are fundamental to equipment performance and longevity in the automotive, fleet transportation and aerospace industries. Diagnostic systems which communicate fault warning information are well known in a number of industries, such as the automotive industry, the oilfield industry, the rail transport industry and the trucking industry. In contrast, hydraulic, or fluid power, equipment components, and particularly fluid power hoses, are service replaceable components which give little or no warning of imminent failure and for which no reliable means of imminent failure detection exits. Fluid power system failures, particularly hose failures, can lead to expensive downtime, oil spillage, and lost revenue and project delays.
Cumulative damage is a fluid power industry-wide understood measure used for estimation of hose life. Cumulative damage formulae for designing fluid power systems exist and an example is specified in SAE J1927. This cumulative damage formulae estimates the cumulative damage of a hose based upon pressure impulse exposure history. However, SAE J1927 is primarily is intended to provide the hydraulic system analyst with a procedure which will assist in the selection and use of high-pressure wire reinforced hydraulic hose assemblies. Hence, SAE J1927 or other methodologies fail to provide a means for diagnosing and responding to fluid power system incremental damage and failures in real-time.